My conversation with Mish Kumar Jonson: What Do We Do With All This Fury?

Mish Kumar Jonson (they/them)

Mish, a Dissociative Identity Response [DIR] System that is neurodivergent, non-binary, queer and a mental health social worker of colour works and lives on Woiwurrung Wurundjeri and Bunuroung Country of the Mighty Kulin Nation. Mish is the chair and principal practitioner at The Iceberg Foundation; a mental health charity supporting BIPOC Neuroqueer humans and in addition runs a private practice and consults on a range of boards to support thriving LGBTIQAPSB+ and Neurodivergent communities.

Through an anti- oppressive lens and a commitment to decolonising mental health practces, Mish supports people within the intersections of neurodivergence, BIPOC narratives, Queerness and the impacts of ableism on the disabled communities. Outside of work Mish loves writng poetry, fostering kittens and constantly rearranging their home to sneak more plants into their home without their wife noticing!

Resources and Terminology

EMDR

Eye Movement Desensitisation Reprocessing (EMDR) - a therapy that helps your brain heal from trauma. It works by helping you process upsetting memories that were stored incorrectly. With guided eye movements and support, your brain can safely revisit these memories and “rewire” them. This makes the feelings and reactions tied to the trauma less intense

• Sandra Paulson - When There Are No Words: Repairing Early Trauma and Neglect From the Attachment Period With EMDR Therapy [Book]

• Roy Kiessling - https://emdrconsulting.com/

• Free resources: https://emdrconsulting.com/training/free-materials/ 

Minority Stress

Minority stress refers to the chronic stress experienced by people who belong to marginalized groups due to ongoing experiences of discrimination, stigma, and social exclusion. It includes external stressors, often relating to systemic oppression, (like harassment or unequal treatment) as well as internal ones (such as shame or internalized stigma).

Liberation Psychology

Books

• Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire, 

• Writings for a Liberation Psychology by Ignacio Martín-Baró,  

• The Wretched of the Earth by Frantz Fanon 

Podcast

The Mind & Soul Collective. (2024, April 16). Liberation Psychology: A Radical Framework for Healing [Podcast episode]. In The Mind & Soul Collective. Spotify. https://open.spotify.com/episode/2eR8Zf0mbQEHcbk5mpTWsT

1800 RESPECT - 24-hour sexual assault, family and domestic violence counselling hotline, nation wide across Australia.